Ethiopia showcases the first electric car from its assembly plant.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, one of the youngest leaders in Africa, received the Hyundai Ioniq EV from Marathon Motor Engineering. It is a joint venture company between Hyundai Motor Company and Olympic Champion Haile Gebrselassie. Hyundai Ioniq EV is the first electric car fully assembled locally by a Hyundai dealership according to the office of the Prime minister.

“The decision to assemble electric cars in Ethiopia follows the request put forth by the prime minister to the Hyundai president,” it said.The company’s plant, according to a local media report, has the capacity to assemble 10,000 cars per year.Fully battery operated and with no emissions, the electric car does not require charging at terminals, and can rather be charged anywhere.

 Ethiopia joins other African countries like Ghana  that is now producing several VW ICE models in Accra, including the Tiguan and Tremont SUVs, the Passat, Polo, and the Amarok Pickup.  The assembling plant is expected to produce about 5,000 units of vehicles every year, There are also plans to increase production depending on the market demand.Volkswagen already builds vehicles in Kenya. The company also recently opened another car plant in Rwanda as part of its expansion project in East Africa.